[nabs-l] Grad school and training Centers?

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Sarah,

I think everyone is different in this regard. Personally I think if a
student has good enough skills and confidence to do well in undergrad,
you can probably do just as well in grad school. In many ways grad
school can be easier in terms of accessibility and self-advocacy
because you are in a smaller program. For me however, going through
training made it easier for me to move out of state for grad school,
and with Ph.D. programs the pickings are slim enough that willingness
to go out of state is almost a necessity. I don't recall from the
original post if you're going to grad school out of state, but if
you're not this might not be an issue. The other reason I'm glad I did
training before grad school instead of waiting is because I got
married during grad school and it would have been tough on my marriage
to go away to a center afterward. So I'm glad I went while I was
single. This might be less of an issue though for you if your grad
program is only two years long. Either way it is a very individual
decision.

Arielle

On 4/9/14, Cindy Bennett <clb5590 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Sarah,
>
> Attached are the notes from the training center call NABS had about a
> year ago. Attached also is the letter of justification that I wrote
> based on several sample justification letters that Al Spooner from
> BLIND, Inc. gave me. Any training center will be willing to help you
> with all correspondence with vr.
>
> Anyone can reference these documents and ask me more specific questions.
>
> I hope you can get deferred. From personal experience, I have no idea
> how I would handle the grad school load with the lack of confidence
> and the amount of anxiety I had before training. And I haven't even
> started grad school yet. But I work with grad students and the
> independence and self motivation expected of me would have never fared
> well with me before training.
>
> I'm curious to learn whether you will be able to defer. Good luck! You
> can email me off list if any frustrations arise.
>
> Cindy
>
> On 4/9/14, Sarah Meyer <sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi Ashley and Cindy,
>> Thanks so much for your responses!  You have all given me some great
>> things to think about.
>> Yes, Ashley, after this program I would be able to take the licensing
>> exam to be a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.  From there, I hope to
>> practice therapy and eventually possibly pursue a PhD in Clinical
>> Psychology.  I would be interested in teaching at some point, but my
>> dream is to do the clinical mental health counseling, very possibly
>> with girls/women who are working through anxiety, depression, PTSD,
>> eating disorders, self-harm, etc.
>>
>> Anyway, I really do think that attending a Training Center would help
>> me to flourish as a grad student and a professional in my chosen
>> field.  I am going to talk with my Admissions Coordinator and advisors
>> at my Grad program and ask if there is a possibility to defer for a
>> year (new admits may only begin in summer/fall term).
>> Now...to choose which Center, and to convince VR...
>> Any suggestions on how to build a strong case with VR for sending
>> someone out of state? For many reasons, I absolutely do not want to
>> attend a local "Rehab" program for blindness training (I won't mention
>> any names).
>>
>> --
>> Sarah K. Meyer
>> NFB of Indy - Community Outreach, Advocacy, and Legislation (COAL), Chair
>> IndyGo/IPTC Mobility Advisory Committee (MAC), Member
>> (317) 402-6632
>>
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>
>
> --
> Cindy Bennett
> Secretary: National Association of Blind Students
>
> B.A. Psychology, UNC Wilmington
> clb5590 at gmail.com
>